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Chapter 173

Earth Lord Dong Lan wasn’t sure if Su Hao had any other companions, so he instructed Mist Lord Bebe to act as a guard for the time being. Furthermore, Earth Lord Dong Lan didn’t think that a mere Steel Armor King could pose any threat as long as…

“Black Stone Ground!”

A wave of black light rapidly spread out, centered around Earth Lord Dong Lan. The entire hundred-meter radius turned into a black crystalline substance, emitting a faint luster, undulating slightly under Earth Lord Dong Lan’s control.

Su Hao was now inside the range of the black crystal.

Earth Lord Dong Lan extended his hand downwards, and Su Hao felt the black crystalline material he was standing on disappear. In its place, there was a nearly ten-meter-wide black hole. Su Hao began to free fall.

But that wasn’t all. Earth Lord revealed a sly smile and reached up ruthlessly. The crystals surrounding Su Hao almost rushed toward him, filling the space around him and sealing off all his escape routes.

At this moment, Earth Lord Dong Lan’s eyes flickered with the joy of victory. However, this joy was so faint, as if he had casually crushed an annoying bug. If it were other Sequence Five mutants, Earth Lord Dong Lan would have to put in some effort to kill them. But since it was the Steel Armor King, he had the confidence to easily subdue Su Hao without giving him any opportunity to resist.

However, before he could reveal his victorious smile, a flash of a blade passed by.

“Swish!”

His transformation black crystal was smoothly cut open, revealing the Steel Armor trapped within.

Su Hao leaped into the air and praised, “The texture of this black crystal is not bad, much more robust than steel armor!”

Earth Lord Dong Lan’s eyes narrowed as he waved his hand, causing more black crystals to surge from the ground. They began to pile up around Su Hao, gradually increasing in size until they reached the size of two basketball courts. He then tried to clamp Su Hao inside. According to Earth Lord Dong Lan’s plan, no matter how skilled the opponent was with a blade, his black crystals, several times longer and thicker than the blade, would close in on him and prevent him from slicing through the black crystal.

Su Hao remained calm, holding his long blade high in front of him.

“Rotation!”

Then he thrust forward.

“Crack!”

The thick black crystal instantly cracked open to reveal a large hole, and Su Hao quickly burst out, appearing in front of Earth Lord Dong Lan, and swung his blade down.

Earth Lord Dong Lan’s pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn’t help but exclaim in disbelief, “What?”

His heavy black crystals were unexpectedly broken through by his opponent with ease, leaving him astonished.

As he watched the Steel Armor King who had suddenly appeared before him, Earth Lord Dong Lan reacted quickly. His right hand instantly formed a huge hammer and struck fiercely at Su Hao. It was as if he was willing to exchange his life for Su Hao’s, completely ignoring the long blade that was descending.

Su Hao turned his long blade, flipped it, and met the black crystal mallet.

“Crack!”

The black crystal mallet was neatly cut by Su Hao, and the hammerhead flew away.

Before Earth Lord Dong Lan could react, Su Hao stomped his foot.

“Sliding Shadow Step!”

In contrast to Earth Lord’s massive frame, the more slender Steel Armor King slid to Earth Lord’s side and swiftly sliced with his long blade.

“Crack!”

Earth Lord Dong Lan’s hand holding the hammer was cleanly severed at the wrist, and his chest was slashed open, with black crystal fragments flying everywhere. Su Hao shook his wrist and praised, “This black crystal is really sturdy; if it were anyone else, I could cut it into two pieces with a single strike.”

Underneath his thick black crystal armor, Earth Lord Dong Lan’s complexion became extremely ugly. Since becoming Earth Lord, he had rarely sustained any injuries, and he had always been the one dealing damage. But today, he had received successive heavy injuries.

He understood that he had encountered a formidable opponent today, and this opponent was the Steel Armor King, undoubtedly targeting his flesh and blood, and they were well-prepared.

Earth Lord Dong Lan’s severed hand fell to the ground and merged with the black crystals on the ground. His severed wrist started to emit a large amount of black crystal, and in the blink of an eye, it formed a hand, completely restored.

Seeing this, Su Hao couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and thought, “Is this recyclable?”

Su Hao asked, “Earth Lord, is there anything else you can do? Show me.”

Earth Lord Dong Lan replied, “Kid, don’t get too cocky. Do you think you can defeat me like this? Wishful thinking!”

“Roar! Tidal Wave!”

Earth Lord Dong Lan let out a roar as he clenched his hands.

Soon, the black crystals rapidly extended to a range of five hundred meters. The black crystal ground under his feet began to tremble. The land within the entire five hundred meters began to rise from the outside towards the center, forming a black tsunami several dozen meters high. The force was immense, sweeping from all sides towards Su Hao in the center.

As the black crystals hurtled towards Su Hao, countless spikes grew on the surface, creating a black crystal rain.

With nowhere to hide, Su Hao immediately sheathed his blade. Layer upon layer of steel armor thickened on the outside of his body.

“Level 2 – Hardness,” “Level 2 – Barrier!”

“Clang, clang, clang!”

Numerous black crystal spikes struck Su Hao, producing crisp sounds as they hit him, but they couldn’t penetrate his defenses or leave any marks on his steel armor.

Su Hao looked at the approaching black crystal tsunami and calmly said, “Try something new! My patience is running out.”

He raised his blade, and the blade’s length extended continuously.

“Level 2 – Sharpness,” “Level 2 – Penetration,” “Level 2 – Hardness,” “Level 2 – Rotation!”

Su Hao took a step forward, leaped into the air, and chopped with his long blade.

“Jumping Slash!”

“Swoosh!”

The long blade’s bright light flashed by.

“Crack, crack, crack!”

The black crystal tsunami was sliced in half, separating to the left and right as it passed Su Hao from both sides, failing to harm him in the least.

“Level 2 – Vibration!”

Su Hao activated his rune and delivered a punch to the black crystal next to him.

“Crack!”

The massive and thick black crystals, subjected to high-frequency vibrations, unexpectedly shattered and collapsed in an instant.

“Boom!”

The black crystals lost control, crashing heavily onto the ground, kicking up dense smoke.

“How is this possible?” Earth Lord Dong Lan’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

The fact that his black crystal tsunami had been shattered by a single punch was beyond his comprehension, and he struggled to accept it.

Just then, Su Hao appeared in front of Earth Lord Dong Lan.

Before Earth Lord Dong Lan could react,

“Level 2 – Lightning!”

“Crackle!”

A bolt of lightning struck Earth Lord Dong Lan, causing him to instantly stiffen and lose control of his body.

Su Hao flashed past him, muttering, “I gave you a chance, and you have nothing but useless abilities.”

“Swoosh!”

Earth Lord Dong Lan’s head was instantly thrown high into the air.

“Boom!”

It crashed heavily onto the ground.

“Crack!”

Then it shattered.

“Hmm?” Su Hao suddenly noticed something was amiss. The shattered head showed no signs of bloodstains. Moreover, the severed neck of Earth Lord showed no signs of spurting blood, which was different from the typical beheading scenario.

“Not dead?” In Su Hao’s radar perception, the opponent’s vitality hadn’t dissipated after death; it was still vibrant.

Soon, under Su Hao’s watchful gaze, Earth Lord Dong Lan’s severed neck began to produce large amounts of black crystals, and within moments, it grew into a new head.

Earth Lord Dong Lan moved his severed neck slightly, producing crisp explosions. He said in a muffled tone, “Steel Armor King, you’ve successfully provoked me. Well done!”

With that, Earth Lord Dong Lan raised his foot and stomped the ground heavily, roaring, “Blackstone Giant!”

(End of this chapter)

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    Chapter 173

    Earth Lord Dong Lan wasn't certain whether Su Hao had any companions nearby.

    Therefore, he had Mist Lord Bebe remain hidden as support while he dealt with the enemy himself.

    Besides, in his eyes, a mere Steel Armor King posed no real threat.

    As long as he controlled the battlefield...

    "Blackstone Domain!"

    A wave of black light spread outward from Dong Lan's feet.

    Within moments, everything within a hundred-meter radius transformed into glossy black crystal that shimmered faintly beneath the morning light.

    The entire field rose and fell like a living sea under Dong Lan's control.

    Su Hao now stood squarely inside the domain.

    Dong Lan stretched one hand downward.

    The black crystal beneath Su Hao's feet suddenly vanished, leaving behind a pit nearly ten meters wide.

    Su Hao immediately began falling.

    At the same time, Dong Lan raised his other hand.

    Black crystals surged upward from every direction, rapidly sealing off every possible escape route.

    His expression remained calm.

    To him, crushing a Steel Armor King required no more effort than stepping on an insect.

    Against other Fifth-Tier Mutants, he might need to be cautious.

    Against a Steel Armor King?

    Victory was already decided.

    Yet before the smile could appear on his face—

    Swish!

    A flash of silver cut through the darkness.

    The encasing black crystal split apart as smoothly as butter beneath Su Hao's blade.

    Su Hao leaped out effortlessly.

    Landing lightly, he glanced at the shattered crystal and nodded in approval.

    "Not bad."

    "This black crystal is much tougher than ordinary Assimilation Steel."

    Dong Lan's eyes narrowed.

    With another wave of his hand, enormous masses of black crystal erupted from the ground.

    Layer upon layer stacked together until they formed a gigantic prison nearly the size of two basketball courts.

    This time, he intended to crush Su Hao completely.

    He no longer believed the blade could cut through something this thick.

    Inside the closing prison...

    Su Hao calmly raised his sword.

    "Rotation."

    He thrust forward.

    Crack!

    The massive crystal barrier exploded apart.

    A huge opening appeared instantly.

    Su Hao burst through it like an arrow.

    Before Dong Lan could react—

    Su Hao was already standing directly in front of him.

    The blade descended.

    Dong Lan's pupils contracted.

    "What?!"

    His right arm immediately transformed into a gigantic black crystal warhammer, which he swung directly at Su Hao.

    Rather than retreat, he intended to exchange injuries.

    Unfortunately...

    Su Hao merely rotated his wrist.

    Crack!

    The enormous warhammer was sliced cleanly in half.

    The hammerhead flew away.

    Before Dong Lan could launch another attack—

    Su Hao stepped forward.

    "Sliding Shadow Step."

    His body slid past the towering giant like a streak of light.

    Slash!

    Dong Lan's wrist separated from his arm.

    Another slash followed immediately.

    Slash!

    The thick crystal armor across his chest split open, scattering black crystal fragments everywhere.

    Su Hao flicked the blood from his blade.

    "This armor is surprisingly sturdy."

    "If it were anyone else..."

    "They'd already be cut in half."

    Hidden beneath the layers of crystal, Dong Lan's expression became extremely grim.

    Ever since becoming an Earth Lord, he had always been the one overwhelming others.

    Never had he suffered such heavy injuries in rapid succession.

    He finally understood.

    The Steel Armor King before him had come specifically for his flesh and blood—

    and he had come fully prepared.

    His severed hand fell onto the crystal-covered ground.

    Immediately, it dissolved into the surrounding black crystal.

    At the same time, fresh black crystal rapidly grew from the stump of his wrist.

    Within seconds—

    A brand-new hand had regenerated completely.

    Seeing this, Su Hao raised an eyebrow.

    "So..."

    "The crystals are recyclable."

    He pointed his sword at Dong Lan.

    "Is that all?"

    "Show me something interesting."

    Dong Lan snorted coldly.

    "Don't get ahead of yourself."

    "You think you've defeated me?"

    "Ridiculous!"

    He suddenly roared.

    "Blackstone Tide!"

    The entire Blackstone Domain expanded violently.

    One hundred meters...

    Two hundred...

    Three hundred...

    Until it reached a radius of nearly five hundred meters.

    The crystal-covered ground trembled violently.

    Then the earth itself rose.

    From every direction, towering waves of black crystal surged toward Su Hao.

    Each wave stood dozens of meters high.

    At the same time, countless razor-sharp crystal spikes erupted across their surfaces, raining toward him like a deadly storm.

    With nowhere to evade...

    Su Hao calmly sheathed his blade.

    Layer after layer of Assimilation Steel rapidly thickened over his armor.

    "Second-Tier Hardness."

    "Second-Tier Barrier."

    Clang! Clang! Clang!

    Thousands of crystal spikes slammed into his armor.

    None could penetrate.

    Not even a scratch remained.

    Watching the approaching crystal tsunami, Su Hao sighed.

    "Something new."

    "My patience is running out."

    He slowly drew his sword once more.

    The blade extended continuously.

    "Second-Tier Sharpness."

    "Second-Tier Penetration."

    "Second-Tier Hardness."

    "Second-Tier Rotation."

    He stepped forward.

    Jumped.

    Then swung downward.

    "Sky-Cleaving Slash!"

    A brilliant arc flashed across the battlefield.

    Crack!

    The enormous crystal tsunami split cleanly down the middle.

    The two halves continued rushing past on either side of Su Hao without touching him.

    Then—

    Su Hao pressed one hand against the remaining crystal wall.

    "Second-Tier Vibration."

    Crack!

    The black crystal began vibrating violently.

    A moment later—

    The entire structure shattered into countless fragments.

    Boom!

    The collapsing crystal crashed back onto the ground, raising clouds of dust.

    Dong Lan stared blankly.

    "How..."

    "How is that possible?"

    His strongest defensive technique...

    Destroyed by a single punch.

    Before he could recover—

    Su Hao had already appeared before him again.

    "Second-Tier Lightning."

    Crackle!

    A bolt of lightning exploded across Dong Lan's body.

    His muscles instantly stiffened.

    For a brief moment—

    He completely lost control.

    Su Hao passed by him in a blur.

    "I gave you plenty of chances."

    "You've disappointed me."

    Slash!

    Dong Lan's head flew into the air.

    It crashed onto the ground.

    Boom!

    Then shattered into pieces.

    Su Hao frowned.

    "...Hmm?"

    There was no blood.

    His radar also showed something strange.

    Dong Lan's life force remained completely intact.

    "So..."

    "Not dead."

    Under Su Hao's watchful gaze, black crystal rapidly grew from Dong Lan's severed neck.

    Within moments—

    A brand-new head had fully regenerated.

    Dong Lan rolled his neck.

    Crack. Crack.

    He looked directly at Su Hao.

    His voice had become noticeably colder.

    "Steel Armor King..."

    "You've done an excellent job."

    "You've truly managed to anger me."

    He raised one massive foot.

    Then slammed it into the ground.

    BOOM!

    "Blackstone Giant!"

    (End of Chapter 173)
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